SG Helmets

A new study provides the first good clinical evidence that helmet design can lower the risk of concussion in games and practices but leaves unanswered the practical question faced by football parents, coaches, and administrators: whether a difference in concussion risk reduction exists between currently available helmet models incorporating the latest design features.

The July 2013 decision by NOCSAE that modification of helmets with third-party after-market add-ons, absent retesting and recertification as configured, renders the certification void may be necessary to protect the integrity of its helmet standard, but at the cost of depriving athletes of cutting-edge concussion safety products.

Last week many of the technology manufacturers who have been working
diligently to produce products to make helmeted sports such as football
safer were dealt a severe, if not crippling, blow by the National
Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) when,
out of the blue, it decided to view
modification of helmets with third-party after-market add-ons as voiding its certification, which could only be regained if
the helmet is retested with the add-on.

Brooke de Lench believes that the new NOCSAE ruling voiding the certification for sensor-equipped helmets could not have come at a worse time, just as football - from the youth level to the NFL - is gearing up for the 2012 season. If not reversed or modified, de Lench fears that it will have harsh real-world consequences; not just on sensor manufacturers but on player safety and consumer choice.